Radiotherapy

To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 312W, on radiotherapy: South-West England and pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2013, Official Report, column 290W, on radiotherapy, what new radiotherapy services were provided from the £13 million funding for expanding radiotherapy capacity in 2011-12 and in which parts of the country those services were commissioned; what new radiotherapy services have been provided to date from the £22 million funding in 2012-13 and in which parts of the country those services were commissioned; and what plans he has for allocating the £41 million remaining from the total fund of £150 million.

‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’, published on 12 January 2011, set out our commitment to expand radiotherapy capacity and extend proton beam therapy services by investing over £150 million in additional funding up to 2014-15. The following table breaks down the funding allocation over the four-year period.

£ million

2011-12

13

2012-13

22

2013-14

32

2014-15

42

The remaining £41 million of the £150 million total is funding to expand the proton beam therapy overseas programme.

Radiotherapy funding is allocated to all primary care trusts (PCTs) through their recurrent revenue allocations. Recurrent revenue allocations are currently made to PCTs on the basis of a weighted capitation formula used to determine PCTs' target shares of available resources to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need. Funding for specific services is not identified at PCT-level. It is for PCTs to decide how to use their funding to commission services, including radiotherapy services, to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities. From 1 April, the NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for the allocation of resources to clinical commissioning groups.

In terms of linking our investment in expanding radiotherapy to increased treatment activity, the report ‘Radiotherapy in England 2012’, published by the Department in November 2012, sets out that radiotherapy episodes increased by 7.5% from 2009-10 to 2011-12 and attendances increased by 8.9% in the same period. A copy has already been placed in the Library. Data on activity in 2012-13 have not yet been published. Data on radiotherapy activity by provider are available through the cancer commissioning tool kit which can be accessed by commissioners, providers and other stakeholder organisations.